Day 52. Saturday, 19th October, 2024. From Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, otherwise known as Machu Picchu Village.

Train journey 

Competing rail companies. Inka Rail, and Peru Rail on the right.

Up before 6am to catch the train to Aguas Calientes. The tuk-tuk driver, yesterday we had asked him to pick us up at 7am, was waiting for us. Getting to the station in good time, there were 2 trains waiting to board. The station was teaming with tourists of all nationalities. We travelled with Peru Rail and ours was the second train to board. An efficient procedure of checking tickets and passports.

A full train, we left precisely on time at 7.15. It is a spectacular journey. I think we are a bit blasé, though. Driving through the mountains we are lucky to see some really amazing scenery. We stopped in the wilderness to let off a few passengers who were going to hike the Inca Trail and again at the Hydroelectric Station. This is the closest point to Machu Picchu you could drive to, but there is no secure parking there.

An  hour and a half later we pull in to Aguas Calientes station. Again the platform and streets are heaving with tourists. We are in an enclosed valley surrounded by imposing mountains. Our exit from the train is straight into the Handicraft Market where retail opportunities abound. Once we manage to find our way out of the market, we are in the street with the sales point for Machu Picchu tickets. We need no direction to find it. It’s obvious from the long queue snaking up the hill and into the distance. 

Queueing for Tickets

We walk to the back of the queue. At 9.15 we are very late! It looks hopeless, but we decide to give it a try. An hour later we are advised that the 1,000 tickets for Sunday are now sold out. However, we continue to queue and get a ticket which gives us priority for tomorrow to obtain tickets for Monday. We are instructed to come back at 6am tomorrow. 

While queuing, we were chatting to some of our queue neighbours. A couple of young Canadians from Quebec. After we had been told there were no more tickets available, they were approached and offered tickets for 2pm that afternoon. There was confusion over the price. It seemed too good to be true and we thought it may be a scam, with the tickets being forgeries.

By now it is 11am, so we find our hotel. Although it is early, we can check in. We book another night’s accommodation as we will now be here til Monday. After a rest and rethinking our plans, we go to find the office selling bus tickets for the final 10 kms to the entrance to Machu Picchu. We need to have them in advance.

Tourism. Good or Bad?

As we are now starving, we go and find some lunch. Food prices reflect the fact that it’s tourists who are being catered for. It leads on to the very topical debate, which is raging at the moment, regarding over tourism. Machu Picchu is one of those places that falls into this category. It is an interesting dilemma. Apart from the ecological impact of so many people tramping on the site here in Machu Picchu, is tourism a good  or a bad thing and when does it become too much? 

Having driven through areas of Peru which are virtually devoid of any tourists, one might say it was a good thing. It brings employment and the revenue earned enables the community to afford reliable services, such as street cleaning, refuse collection, water and electricity supply. Aguas Calientes is spotlessly clean. However, the sheer volume of people is just becoming overwhelming. The government has tried to address this by limiting the number of tickets issued per day, but is this enough?

Most tourists visiting Peru are doing so on an organised tour. Coming to Cusco they are staying in relatively luxurious hotels, being transported everywhere in air-conditioned tourist buses, with a guide. Coming to Machu Picchu on a train fitted out for tourists and eating in good restaurants and cafes. Aguas Calientes has some very smart restaurants and coffee shops, but this is not typical of most of the rest of Peru.

Later in the afternoon we went to investigate the village. After perusing the retail offerings in the Handicraft Market, we were sitting on a bench in the sun, people watching, when along came the two Canadians we had been talking to in the morning. The tickets they bought were genuine and they had visited the site at 2pm. We asked how long they had spent there and they thought two hours was sufficient.

GIn the evening we looked for somewhere to have dinner. The choice is immense. The whole village consists of restaurants/cafes and handicraft shops. We didn’t fancy anything local, so chose a pizza place. It was rather average, but I am becoming quite partial to pisco sours.

Aguas Calientes 

Two observations to make about Aguas Calientes. There are at least 57 varieties of dog. You have to look where you are walking as they are often lying asleep in the middle of the pavement. There is one rather comical breed that appears to have no body hair. Just odd tufts on head and tail. 

The other point of note is the troublesome sandflies. They are sandflies on steroids. Any exposed area of skin will come under immediate attack. We bought some repellent, which understandably is being sold everywhere, but the little blighters still managed to make a meal of my ankles and hands and, boy, do they itch!

This is being written on Dennis’s iPad and for various technical and competence reasons, there won’t be many photo’s till we get back to Poki Monday evening..😏

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